Mon, Nov 11, 2013 -- 9:00 AM

Twitter's Rocky Rise to Fame

A banner with the logo of Twitter is set on the front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on November 7, 2013 in New York.

EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images

A banner with the logo of Twitter is set on the front of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on November 7, 2013 in New York.

The sign hanging by the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange read "#Ring" as San Francisco-based Twitter went public last week, with its initial price offering of $26 per share quickly jumping to $45, giving the company a $31.5 billion valuation. But according to New York Times tech writer Nick Bilton, it wasn't always smooth sailing to the top for the microblogging company. In his new book, "Hatching Twitter," he explores the rocky history of its founders and the company's complicated rise to fame and fortune.